The City of South Padre Island’s FY 2018‑19 budget outlines how the municipal government plans to raise about $12.2 million in revenue—mostly from property, sales and hotel taxes—and spend almost the same amount on city services, employee salaries, public safety, infrastructure projects and debt payments. It includes a modest 1.16% property‑tax hike, a $99,500 increase in sales‑tax collections, $7.6 million in hotel‑occupancy tax, a $3 million multimodal‑transport project, and $2.23 million earmarked for debt service on the city’s $18.75 million bond portfolio.
| Total General Fund revenue | $12,195,856 |
| Total General Fund expenditures | $12,195,628 |
| Surplus (Revenue – Expenditures) | $228 |
| Property‑tax increase | $91,416 (1.16%); new property added $19,573 |
| Total municipal debt (principal) | $18,750,000 |
| Debt service payments for FY 2018‑19 | $2,234,339 |
| Hotel/Motel occupancy tax revenue | $7,607,597 (total Convention Centre $7,909,597) |
| Phase II Multimodal Complex budget | ≈ $3,000,000 (federal grants) |